Vode An
by Darth Rio
Summary: A work in progress story about Gamma Squad, four clone troopers stuck in the middle of the Clone War. Takes place at the start of the Clone War.
1. Chapter 1

"Prime, we're getting killed over here!" Lurk said through the comlink, shouting over the roar of DC17s and anti-armor rounds. A sonic charge went off somewhere in the immediate vicinity, spraying shrapnel everywhere. Lurk covered his head instinctively, even though his reinforced Katarn armor would have protected him from any damage.

"I know, Lurk, I know! This would just be a lot easier if Slicer could be here to help!" Prime answered. He was having a difficult time rewiring the security system. Gamma Squad's goal was to disable the security grid protecting the base, enter quietly, retrieve a datapad with vital intelligence stored in its memory, and make it out in one piece. So far, 'enter quietly' was out of the question. "Lurk?" Prime shouted through the comlink, "Where is Slicer? I could use his techno-expertise right about now!"

"Slicer's bogged down, sir. There's a load of Super Battle Droids surrounding him, but I can't get a shot in. Stealth seems to be missing in action. Looks like it's just you and me."

Prime resisted the urge to strangle the comlink. He checked a few more wires, unsure which ones to pull. He sighed, finally admitting to himself that the grid was too complicated for his limited abilities. "Lurk, Do you have any experience working with advanced security grids?"

"None, sir."

The alarms were beginning to give Prime a headache. He didn't have time to screen the frequency from his helmet, but he was sure that if the alarms weren't disabled soon, there would be some permanent damage done to his hearing. He pulled his head out of the console and scanned the battle, mentally noting where each of his squad mates were. Lurk had taken cover behind a pile of wreckage and was throwing ion charges at the incoming droids. Slicer was off to the left, surrounded by Super Battle Droids. He had managed to take down a few, but they just kept coming. Stealth was nowhere to be seen, as usual. Prime rolled his eyes as he opened up his comm channel. "Slicer, can you find cover somewhere?"

"I'm a bit busy, here, Prime, can you leave a message?" Slicer responded, using the retractable blade in his knuckle plate to take down another droid.

"Slicer, retreat. Find some cover and run."

"Sir?"

"Run, Slice! Don't stand there like a confused Gizka!"

Slicer ducked down and rolled between two droids. It took a moment for the move to register in the droids sensors, leaving just enough time for Slicer to join Lurk behind the wreckage. Prime pulled a thermal detonator from his belt, thumbed the switch, and lobbed the detonator over his squad mate's heads. Slicer and Lurk ducked, bracing for impact. The thermal detonator exploded, temporarily overloading the light sensors of Prime's helmet. But the job was done. The droids that had been pursuing Slicer were in pieces on the ground.

"Thanks, lead," Slicer said, saluting Prime.

"It's not time to celebrate yet, boys. You've still got a couple of them on your six." Prime ducked his head back under the console, tugging at a few more wires. A thought suddenly hit him, and he sat up, knocking his head on the edge of the device. He winced and clutched his head, though it didn't help through the armor. "Slicer, will you get over here and disable this grid? I'm having a hard time with it."

Slicer didn't hear Prime's request. He had readied a thermal detonator, watching the battle droids. As soon as the droids were in the clearing, Slicer poked his head above the wreckage and tossed the detonator toward the droids. The detonator hit a Super Battle Droid, bounced off the exterior casing, and landed directly in front of Lurk and Slicer.

"Oh, well, this is fun," Slicer said in an ironic tone.

The detonator exploded, taking out the droids, the security grid, and both Lurk and Slicer. Prime put his hand to his forehead and rolled his eyes. "What are we going to do with you, Slice?" Prime said to himself.

The lights came on and the simulation ended. Prime stood up and turned his attention to the viewport. Jango Fett sat behind the transparisteel, his chin rested in his hand, a bored look on his face. He raised an eyebrow. He spoke into a comm, his voice echoing through the training room. "You're dead, Squad. What are we going to do with dead troopers?"

"Pile 'em up and make a barricade?" Slicer suggested. Lurk elbowed him.

"That may be all you're good for," Jango said. He was clearly frustrated. He stood and gathered his various notes, preparing to leave.

Stealth suddenly appeared behind the squad, waving a datapad in the air. "I got the codes," he said. He turned and glanced around the training room, noticing that the training exercise had ended. "Did I miss something?"

Slicer raised his DC17 and shot Stealth in the chest. The bolt was absorbed into Stealth's armored chestplate. Stealth glanced down at his armor, then back up at Slicer. "I did miss something, then."

----

_Note from Rio: This thing started off as a short story and kinda escalated from there. This story is a work in progress, and just so you know, I have not yet finished an entire story. Just... keep bugging me about it, and I'll try to get more written. BTW, flamers and such will be deleted, I am not changing my story for anyone, especially people who speak 1337 or who can't use proper grammar, spelling, and capitalization. So, save yourself some time. If you don't like the story, leave, and find another one that you DO enjoy. Thank you _


	2. Chapter 2

Slicer flopped back on his bunk. "I've got aches in places I didn't even know I had. What do they pack in those charges anyway?"

"Enough punch to make you not want to get hit by one again," Stealth said.

"That's for sure." Slicer rubbed his head and groaned. "I think it got through my helmet."

Lurk nudged Slicer. "Hey, I get top bunk."

Slicer groaned louder. "I'm too sore to move."

"I'll help, then," Lurk said, lifting Slicer out of the bunk and rolling him to the floor. Slicer landed with a thud, luckily on Stealth's spare pillow. The squad had a good laugh about that, but Slicer didn't find it too amusing.

"Lurk, I'd kill you if I could move."

Lurk laughed. "I'd like to see you try! You couldn't even beat a Kaminoan in an arm wrestling contest."

Prime grinned. "Alright, boys, that's enough. We've got a meal in just a bit, so don't get too comfortable. As soon as you're done eating, report back to the sims. We're going to go over that again until we get it right."

"Aw, Prime!" Slicer complained. "We just did a sim! I can't even get up, I'm so sore!"

Lurk leaned over the bunk. "So when we're in the middle of a battle, you think the droids are going to give you a break just because you're tired?"

Slicer grabbed the pillow out from underneath his head and threw it at Lurk, who caught it and propped it under his own head.

Stealth sat on the edge of his bunk and pulled off his boots. "Ugh. I hate standard issue. I've got blisters the size of Kashyyyk." Stealth pulled a pair of soft leather shoes out from under the bunk. He slipped one foot in... _CRACK_. Stealth made a face. "Oh, tell me you didn't..."

Lurk and Slicer roared with laughter. Stealth stuck his hand inside the shoe and pulled out pieces of broken shriek-hawk egg. The yolk was all over his foot. Prime tried to hold back his laughter. "Lurk, Slice, what did I tell you boys about pranks?"

"Make sure to get pictures!" Slicer said, pointing up at Lurk's bunk. There was a slim micro-cord camera aimed down at Stealth.

"Har har," Stealth said. "You guys owe me a new pair of shoes."

Slicer and Lurk were laughing too hard to argue.

---

_Note from Rio: 'kay, short chapter. The next one will be longer, I swear. This is where it gets fun _


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh, Uj cake!" Slicer exclaimed. Stealth had seen it at the same time, though, and they both reached for the last plate at the same time. "Hey!" Slicer said. "I saw it first."

"I'll Wookiee, Gungan, Ewok you for it," Stealth suggested. "Wookiee beats Gungan, Gungan beats Ewok, Ewok beats Wookiee."

The boys agreed. They stood with their backs facing each other, took three steps, then spun around. Stealth stood tall, his arms held up above his head, mocking claws. Slicer hung his arms by his ears and made a fish face.

"Aw, come on!" Slicer complained. "You got the uj cake last week!"

"You lost then, too!" Stealth said with a smile, picking up the plate. He spotted Prime across the room and went to sit by him. Slicer browsed the room, looking around for anyone he recognized. Not too difficult. They all looked the same. Over in the corner, however, a group of clones had gathered around in a circle. Slicer decided to go investigate.

Turns out two clones were arguing. One of them was in standard clone armor, the other was wearing green painted Clone Commando armor.

"Lurk!" Slicer yelled, pushing his way through the crowd. "What the fierfek are you doing?"

Lurk ignored him. He shoved the clone backwards. "You came out of the 'standard batch', _di'kut_. We're the Elite. We've had training. We know more about combat than you'll ever learn. That makes us superior."

The clone, Slicer finally recognized him as CT-364, swung a punch at Lurk. "We're all cloned from the same DNA, _ik'aad_, maybe you've had specialized training, but you're no better than the rest of us."

Lurk lunged forward and knocked Six-Four to the ground. The crowd pressed in, then, eager to see the fight. Slicer jumped forward, trying to pull Lurk away from Six-Four. He slipped out of Slicer's grip though, and swung another punch at the clone. By this time, the fight had attracted the attention of everyone else in the mess hall. Prime and Stealth elbowed their way through the fray. Prime grabbed Six-Four while Stealth helped Slicer hold Lurk back.

"_Chakaar_ !" Lurk spat.

Slicer had enough. He grabbed Lurk by the armor and got in his face. "What's your problem, _dinii_? Six-Four is right! We all came from the same DNA, and your 'superior training' doesn't mean squat! Here you are picking fights with our brothers? What's wrong with you?"

"They aren't my brothers."

Slicer slapped Lurk's armor as a warning shot. "Of course they're your brothers! Just 'cause we're on the same squad doesn't make you and me any closer than you and any of the others in this room. Got that? The droid army isn't going to have much to do if you're in here beating up our army from the inside."

Slicer let go of Lurk and turned his back to him, going over to give Six-Four a pep talk.

"_Hut'uun_ ."

Slicer stopped in his tracks. A tense silence fell over the group. He turned slowly. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Lurk growled. "You're a coward and a traitor. You'd side with the cannon fodder over your own brother--"

Slicer lunged forward, knocking over both Lurk and Stealth. He pulled out the vibroblade he kept tucked in his knuckleplate. The blade shot forward several times, cutting up Lurk's face. "Elite, are you?" Slicer roared. "I bet you think you belong on the same level as Jango Fett, don't you? Well then let's remove all doubt!"

Prime let go of Six-Four and rushed forward. He tried to get a grip on Slicer, but was knocked backwards by a sudden kick. Stealth tried to wrestle the vibroblade away from him, but only received a few dents in his knuckleplate. Lurk elbowed Slicer in the chest, sending him backwards. He swung himself up on to his feet and aimed a kick at Slicer's head. Slicer reached up and caught Lurk's foot, twisting and knocking him off balance. Lurk fell, slamming his shoulder hard against the ground. He bit back a cry of pain, gripping his injured shoulder. Slicer rushed forward and pinned Lurk to the spot. Slicer's blade was relentless. Only when he was quite satisfied with the final result was Prime able to pull him away. Stealth and a few of the troopers helped Lurk to his feet. Blood streamed down his face from the numerous deep gashes.

"With those scars, you could pass for Jango," Slicer growled. "How's it feel to be Elite now?"

Lurk lowered his head and glared at Slicer, fire in his eyes. He lurched forward, but Prime and Stealth caught him, holding him back.

"Come on," Stealth said, "let's get you to the medic. We need to get bacta on that right away."

Lurk tried to break free of Prime and Stealth's grip, but they held fast. Lurk spat at Slicer.

"You, _demagolka_, are _dar'manda_."

---

_Note from Rio: Oh! By the way, there's gonna be the occasional Mando'a phrase in all these stories. I highly reccomend you download the dictionary from The stories will make much more sense._


	4. Chapter 4

Prime had to jog to catch up with Slicer. "Hey, wait a tick!" he said. Slicer showed no sign of slowing.

"_Ke'gev_!" Prime barked. Slicer slowed for a moment, debating, then stopped. "Slice," Prime said, "give me an excuse. Just make up _anything_ that will make your actions seem logical. It doesn't even have to be the truth. Just give me some reason."

Slicer didn't look directly at Prime. "He deserved it."

Prime pinched the bridge of his nose. "Not good enough. So now who's the one beating up the army from the inside?"

"He deserved it," Slicer repeated. He started to walk off.

"Slice," Prime said hesitantly. "That's not all."

Slicer stopped and turned around, facing the squad leader. "What now? Suspended from the team? Reassigned? Stuck here forever training new recruits?"

Prime just shook his head. He turned to go the other direction down the hall. "Follow me."

Slicer ruffled his brow, but followed. They walked in silence for a while. Prime seemed to have something on his mind, but Slicer figured it would be best not to ask. They passed several clones down the starch-white hall, all of them eying Slicer suspiciously.

"I'm going to do the best I can to find an alternative, Slice," Prime finally said. "But I can't guarantee they'll listen to me. Just don't panic. We'll find some way to handle this."

"What are you talking about?"

Prime brushed the hair out of his face, then opened up a door hidden inside an alcove. Slicer watched Prime, but stepped inside without question. The room was large, and filled with odd looking scientific equipment. One wall was a large window, looking out over the Clone Creation Facility. Several Kaminoan technicians milled about, but one stood out amongst the others. It was Orun Wa. The sight of him sent a wave of panic through Slicer. He spun around to face Prime. The squad leader looked grim.

"Prime?" Slicer pleaded, his voice wavering. "Prime, what's going on?"

"Reconditioning," Prime said sadly.

Slicer made a move toward the door, but two technicians blocked the way. "No, Prime? You can't let them..."

"Give me a minute, I'm going to talk them out of this, alright? _Ni hukaat'kama_."

Orun Wa approached, intending to lead Slicer to a room where he was to wait while his fate was decided. Slicer was in a panic, though, and had no intention of being led anywhere. He jumped behind Prime, grabbing onto his arm as if that could help. "Prime, don't let them kill me, it wasn't my fault!"

"Slice," Prime said, trying to calm him down. It wasn't working. "Slice!" he shouted. "Calm down. You're not helping out here. Go with Orun Wa and wait there. I am going to get you out of this."

Slicer was trembling as Orun Wa led him to a small room with only a metal stool. Slicer sat down, and the door was shut. There was only a dim light in the room, not enough to see by, but there wasn't anything to see anyway. Slicer got up and pressed his ear to the door, hoping to hear what was going on, but the room was soundproof. So he sat back down on the stool and shivered, a knot growing in his stomach.

---

Prime called Stealth over the comlink, knowing he would need backup. Lurk was receiving bacta treatments in the infirmary, so he couldn't come, but Prime wouldn't have invited him, since he'd be entirely in favor of Slicer's reconditioning. Stealth must have run pretty quickly, because it didn't take him long at all to arrive. Prime was grateful, knowing that Stealth would stand by his brother without question.

"The unit is flawed," Ko Sai said. "It will be replaced with one of equal value."

Prime leaned his fists on a polished metal table. "He's not a _unit_, he's Slicer, and he's our brother. You can't equal that value."

"And he's not an it!" Stealth said, wagging his finger at the Kaminoan.

"This sort of aggression should have been weeded out of the unit's DNA. Obviously it wasn't, so it must be destroyed. We can't have our units fighting amongst themselves, our client expects quality."

Prime squeezed his eyes shut, holding back the urge to carve Orun Wa's head into a small sculpture. "Look, I won't say that he had any excuse for what he did, but it wasn't unprovoked. Lurk is as much at fault as Slicer."

"If One-Oh-Six is flawed as well--"

"No," Prime said quickly, "That's not necessary." He sighed. "This is the first time Slicer has been this out of line. Check his record. This sort of aggression isn't normal for him. He's done well in the sims--"

Stealth coughed to cover up a snicker.

"--and he's an excellent member of my team. We can't function with a replacement. We need someone with Slicer's exact qualifications."

"We can train--"

Prime slammed his fist down on the table. "No, you can't! You can't train someone else to be our brother!"

Orun Wa tilted his head to the side and studied Prime. "You may leave now. We are going to discuss our final decision."

Prime opened his mouth to argue some more, but Stealth stopped him. He leaned over and whispered, "Keep going. I'm going to go find someone."

Without another word, Stealth ran out the door and down the white hall. He nearly knocked down a few clones, and did knock over a Kaminoan, which he may have done on purpose. He skidded to a stop in front of the training sims and poked his head inside. A few clones were around, but no one else. He kept running. He sprinted up a flight of stairs to the commander's quarters. Lama Su was strolling down the hall in the opposite direction and stopped to inform Stealth that he was in a restricted area, but there was no time to slow down. He ducked past the Prime Minister, then rounded a corner, finally skidding to a stop. He banged on the door.

"What?" came the annoyed answer.

Stealth pounded on the door again. "I need your help!"

A few seconds passed, then the door slid open.

"Whoa, easy there, boy, you'll give yourself a heart attack," Kal Skirata said.

Stealth leaned against the door frame, struggling to catch his breath. "You need to come quickly, they're going to kill him."

In a moment, Kal knew exactly what was going on. He shut the door behind him, not bothering to lock it. The two of them raced back down the hall, past a very confused Lama Su.


	5. Chapter 5

Slicer looked up as the door to his cell was opened and Prime stepped in. Slicer quickly wiped at his eyes, making sure he wasn't tearing up too badly. "So?" he asked. "What did they decide?"

"Don't worry about it. Stealth is coming back with help--"

"But did they decide?"

"Stealth will be here--"

"Sir?"

Prime sighed. "You're scheduled for reconditioning tomorrow."

Slicer's heart sank.

"But don't you dare give up hope, _ner vod_, we'll figure something out. We're not just going to let you die, alright?"

Slicer hung his head, feeling certain that his fate was sealed. "Would it help if I apologized?" he asked, not really feeling sorry, but willing to do anything to keep himself from being reconditioned.

Prime shook his head. "Apologies don't mean anything to these Kaminoans. All that matters to them is that you attacked him in the first place."

"Hey, he's the one--"

"I don't care. You know better."

Stealth popped in the door then, beads of sweat running down his face. "Got him," he said. Prime stepped out to see who had come to rescue Slicer.

Kal Skirata was standing just inches away from Orun Wa. "How many times, hm? How many times have I had to save one of these boys from your claws? I'm beginning to wonder who is the real enemy in this war!"

"Sir," the Kaminoan said timidly, clearly intimidated, "this is a fully grown unit--"

"Soldier. Do not use the word unit around me."

"This is a fully grown _unit_, and it can't be reinstructed. If there is a flaw now, you cannot simply raise it to follow _your_ orders like you did with the Nulls."

"I don't need to retrain him. I'll keep an eye on him for a while and make sure he stays in line. That's all he needs."

"Sir, it would be much easier to just replace--"

"_Haar'chak_ !" Kal exclaimed, slamming his fist down and shattering a glass bottle. "You can't replace him! He's their brother." He pointed to Stealth and Prime. "I don't expect you _talyc Kaminii bas neralse_ to know anything about that. They're just units to you. But go look at him. Go into that room and look at how scared he is. He's just a ten year old boy who lost his temper. And you think you're going to kill him for that? He should be collecting bugs and tormenting girls. But you've accelerated his aging, and thrown him into the middle of a war. Does he even know what he's fighting for? Can you imagine what that would be like to a boy his age? I'm surprised you haven't had more outbursts like this. No, if anyone deserves reconditioning, it's you lot."

Prime and Stealth subtly bumped fists, watching Orun Wa squirm beneath Kal's steely glare.

---

Slicer was sitting in the corner with his knees hugged to his chest when the door opened. He looked up, expecting to see Orun Wa holding a needle with a lethal dose of some chemical in hand. Instead, he saw Kal Skirata.

"Sergeant Kal!" Slicer exclaimed, jumping to his feet, embarrassed that the man had seen him cowering in the corner. "Sir? What are you--"

"Came in here to save your hide," Kal said with a grin.

Skirata was pushed aside by Stealth, who burst in to the room and ran over to Slicer, grabbing his head and ruffing up his hair with his knuckles. "_Oya_, _ner_ _vod_, they're letting you go!" Slicer wrestled out of Stealth's grip, looking stunned.

"Not exactly," Skirata said. "You're under probation... strict probation. I said I'd keep an eye on you for a while, so you do as I tell you with no arguments."

"Yessir!" Slicer said, giving him a quick salute. "_Vor_ _entye_, _ruus'alor_."

"_Ba'gedet'ye_."

Stealth put his arm around Slicer's shoulder. "Come on, _vod'ika_, let's go get you dessert or something."

"Mess hall food?"

"Or some contraband sweets that Prime smuggled in." Stealth cast a nervous glance at Skirata. "Uh... I mean..."

Skirata smiled. "They won't hear it from me."


	6. Chapter 6

"He's under probation, Lurk," Prime said, "he's not getting off unpunished."

"No, they're just going to _keep an eye on him_ while he does whatever he wants, while I'm stuck in a bacta tank for a week!"

"It's not a week, and it's not a tank. It's not as bad as you make it sound."

Lurk narrowed his eyes. "Have they seen me?"

"Who?"

"The Kaminoans. Have they seen what he did to me, or did they just make their decision based on data? If they saw what he did, do you think they would be letting him go unpunished? Look at me, Prime, and think about it."

Prime winced. Lurk's cuts were deep. They were a bright flaming red with ugly scabs formed over them. One scratch down his cheek was showing signs of infection. His right eye was swolen shut. There would definitely be scars, no matter how much bacta was applied.

"Lurk, I'm sure he didn't mean--"

"You're defending him?" Lurk asked angrily. "You were there, sir, you saw him. Do you really think he didn't mean it?"

Prime sighed and shook his head. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened. I really am. But I wasn't going to let Slicer be killed, no matter what he did to you. And if I recall correctly, it wasn't unprovoked."

"Well he--"

"Lurk, stop making excuses!" Prime exploded. "Yes, Slicer was wrong, but I'm not going to let him be killed for one mistake. Now, as soon as you're cleared to leave, I expect you to to see him and apologize."

"Why am I--"

"He's going to apologize, too. You both owe each other one."

Prime turned on his heel and left the room.

"Yeah, I owe him, alright," Lurk grumbled.

---

Slicer pulled his shirt back on over his head, picked up a towel off the rack and dried off his hair. A good hot shower had been just what he needed. He used the towel to dry off the mirror and checked his face for beard stubble. He picked up his shaver and ran it over his face a few times, thinking about how funny it was to be shaving at ten years old. He rinsed off the razor, then looked up to check the mirror once again. Then suddenly the events of the day played back in his head. He took in a shaky breath, as the realization of how close he had come to death finally hit him. Slicer squeezed his eyes shut and hung his head. He backed up a few steps and slid down the wall, curling into a ball and sobbing.

Stealth poked his head into the 'fresher. When he saw Slicer huddled against the wall, he calmly walked over and sat down next to him, not saying anything. He just sat there for a few minutes while Slicer cried.

"You'll be alright, _ner vod_," Stealth said.

Slicer shook his head. "I can't do this, Stealth. I can't have the kriffing Kaminoans watching me, waiting for the slightest mistake! I'm afraid I'm going to trip during a sim, or spit in the wrong direction, and they'll put me right back on death row!"

Stealth put his hand on Slicer's shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Don't worry, they're too busy counting credits to study you too much. Trust me on this."

Slicer gave Stealth a confused look.

Stealth sighed. He pinched his brown hair between his fingers. "There was an error in the genetic code of one small batch of clones. There was nothing wrong with our personalities or anything, we just wound up with brown hair instead of black. The Kaminoans demand perfection though, and most of us were reconditioned before Sergeant Kal showed up and threatened the technicians with a vibroblade. That's how I knew he'd help you."

Slicer gave Stealth an unconvincing smile. "I always wondered about the hair."

"You'll be alright, buddy," Stealth said. "You know me and Prime won't let anything happen to you."

"So... you don't blame me for what I did in the fight?"

Stealth took a deep breath, pausing to try to gather his words. "Yes, I do. That was a stupid thing you did, _ner_ _vod_, but let's not talk about that. You've been through enough today."

"Did you hear about how Lurk is doing?"

"Well, Prime wants you to go see him soon--"

"What?" Slicer exclaimed. "I don't want to see him! He'll kill me as soon as I walk in that room!"

Stealth shrugged and stood up to leave, pausing before he got to the door. "Should have thought of that before, then."


	7. Chapter 7

_Note from Rio: Mando'a dictionary located at the bottom._

* * *

It was a few days before the medics felt comfortable letting Lurk go back to his everyday activities. He picked up his helmet and debated on whether to put it on to hide the scars, or leave it off so everyone could see exactly what Slicer had done. He tucked his helmet under his arm and strode out into the hall, making a mental note of everyone who stared at him out of the corner of their eyes. He quickly reached the barracks, where Stealth and Prime were sitting on the floor playing Sabacc. Stealth looked up, clearly happy to see him. Prime smiled but subtly checked over his shoulder trying to remember where Slicer was.

"Hey, Lurk!" Stealth said, standing up to go give his brother a hug. "How are you feeling?"

"How does it look like I'm feeling?" Lurk grumbled.

"Grumpy. You look alright, though-- uh, I mean..." Stealth fished for words.

Lurk raised an eyebrow, his scars still standing out against his skin.

"Stealth," Prime said, "sit."

"Yessir."

Stealth sat back down on the floor just as the fresher door opened and Slicer came out, combing his still wet hair.

"Prime, you didn't clean the razor out again after you used it--" Slicer stopped, noticing Lurk standing in the doorway. The two just stared at each other for a long time.

"Slicer, Lurk's back from the infirmary," Prime said, trying to fill the silence. Slicer just nodded.

"Hey, Stealth," Prime said, "Why don't you help me clean out the razor?"

"Why do you need help cleaning--"

"Stealth..."

"Yessir."

Prime and Stealth retreated to the fresher then. Prime busied himself with cleaning out the razor while Stealth stood guard at the door to make sure Lurk and Slicer weren't killing each other.

"So," Lurk said, glaring at Slicer, "they just let you go."

"Yeah. Sergeant Kal came to my rescue."

"Remind me to send him a fruit basket."

Lurk pushed past Slicer, purposefully bumping him out of the way with his shoulder.

Slicer spun around. "What's your problem? _You_ were the one threatening Six-Four like he was the enemy! How is that any different than me teaching you some manners?"

"Teaching me some manners? Is that what you call this?" Lurk gestured at his face. "At least Six-Four wasn't my own brother! You're an_aruetii_,_di'kut_! Traitor!"

Lurk jumped forward and tackled Slicer. He grabbed his own vibroblade from his knuckleplate. Slicer managed to kick it out of his hand before Prime and Stealth rushed in to interfere. Stealth grabbed Lurk and pinned him against the wall. Prime struggled to hold Slicer back as he tried to rush at Lurk again.

"Will you two stop? _Wayii_! There's not going to be anything leftover for the Seps!" Prime scolded.

"Oh, I'll make sure there's nothing left of him," Lurk threatened.

Stealth rolled his eyes. "I say we throw them both in a room and see who comes out alive."

"Now, don't you start, too," Prime said, struggling to keep his squad in line. "Lurk, head over to the target range and shoot things. Don't come back until you've hit two hundred bull's eyes. Slicer, go raid the janitors closet and build me three different grenades out of what you find. I don't want to see either of you two near each other until you're done, _tayli'bac_?"

"Got it, _sir_," Lurk said, though he didn't sound sincere at all.

Prime let go of Slicer's arm. Slicer started to walk out the door, but turned abruptly back toward Lurk. Prime blocked his path and shuffled him out into the hall. "Slice, if you don't quit trying to pick a fight, I swear I'll recondition your _shebs_."

Slicer reluctantly obeyed and headed down toward the janitor's closet.

Stealth let go of Lurk and backed up a few steps, expecting him to lash out. Lurk didn't put up a fight though, and headed toward the target range as he was instructed. Prime and Stealth stood guard in the hall to make sure neither one tried to double back.

"Well," Stealth observed, "this is a lot like trying to get two nexu to play nice."

"Nexu might be a little less violent." Prime really wasn't sure how they were going to sort out this mess, but he hoped it could be done without anyone else being scarred.

* * *

_Mando'a Dictionary:  
aruetii - traitor  
di'kut - idiot (more or less. Cleaned up to keep it family friendly)  
wayii - good greif!  
tayli'bac - got it?  
shebs - butt _


End file.
